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Dissertation Title & Abstract

My dissertation uses a mixed-methods approach grounded in social demography and ethnographic work to explore return migration to Mexico and the incorporation of US-born children of returnees. I analyze how the demographic profile of return migration to Mexico shifted around the 2008 financial crisis, how community-level transnational networks and prior transnational activities affect the incorporation of Mexican-American children in Mexico. Unlike previous work on the effects of economic shocks and return migration, I focus on the composition of the flow instead of its size. I find that the 2008 crisis altered the composition of return migration to Mexico. My research on transnationalism and incorporation shifts the focus from the impact of transnational activities and networks in the country of immigrant destination to the country of ancestry. I contribute to the literature on immigrant integration by including different elements of transnationalism—environment, practices, and identities—as resources that aid incorporation.